Free Pick, Best Bet, and a Parlay for the 2022 National Basketball Championship 4/4/22

8:20 pm- TBS

#8 North Carolina 29-9 vs. #1 Kansas 33-6 (-4) in New Orleans

This is about as good a matchup between storied teams as we could have hoped for. Two blue bloods duking it out for the National Championship. Let’s look at some stats that don’t have a damn thing to do with this game; but are really interesting nevertheless.

Most Wins in History: #1. KANSAS 2,328, #2. Kentucky 2,327, #3. NORTH CAROLINA 2,299
Most National Championships: #1. UCLA 11, #2. Kentucky 8, #3. NORTH CAROLINA 6, #4. Duke, Indiana 4, #6. KANSAS 3
Most NCAA Tournament Wins: #1 NORTH CAROLINA 133, #2. Kentucky 129, #3. Duke 115, #4. KANSAS 113
Most NCAA Championship Game Appearances: #1. UCLA, Kentucky 12, #3. NORTH CAROLINA, #4 Duke 11, #5 KANSAS 9
Most Final Four Appearances: #1. NORTH CAROLINA 22, #2 KANSAS, Duke, UCLA, Kentucky 17
Most NCAA Tournament Appearances: #1. Kentucky 58, #2. NORTH CAROLINA 50, #3 KANSAS 49
Most Consecutive Tournament Appearances: #1. KANSAS 33, #2 NORTH CAROLINA 28

Those stats mean nothing tonight but it just points out the storied history of these two schools. And, both teams played about as well as they can play in the Semifinals to get to this position.

Kansas shot the ball very well and made 13 out of 24 3-pt. attempts, led by superstar Ochai Agbaji who hit 6 of 7 on his way to 21 points. They also dominated inside as 6’10” David McCormack scored 25 points on a tough, physical Villanova team. They jumped out to an early 10-0 lead and kept Villanova from ever making much of a run. To say they were impressive, doesn’t really do justice to how well they played. If they shoot the ball like that again in the Championship game, and McCormack hits 10 out of 12 shots, Lawrence, Kansas might have to cancel school and nobody will make it to work on Tuesday.

Then, there is North Carolina. They made a couple of more plays than the Duke Blue Devils did, and held on for an 81-77 victory, ending the storied career of Coach K. They look like a team of destiny as they have made an impressive run through this tournament. They were obviously way underrated by the tournament committee who stupidly seeded them 8th. That means they thought their were 28 teams in this tournament better than the Tar Heels. I don’t mean any disrespect to Colorado St, Texas, Ohio State, Murray State, or Alabama. But they were all seeded ahead of North Carolina and not a damn one of them would have been favored in a head-to head matchup.

The Tar Heels can shoot the 3-ball and their guards can get to the basket and finish as well an anyone. They have shown a toughness in this tournament that was missing at times in the regular season. 6’10” Jr. Center Armando Bacot averages 16 points and 13 rebounds per game and is a force inside. Caleb Love, Brady Manek, and R.J. Davis have combined for 45 points per game, and can all shoot the three, while Love and Davis can penetrate and finish, or dish it off to their teammates. The one factor that could hurt Carolina is a thin bench, so they have to stay out of foul trouble.

The Jayhawks are favored by 4 points and that seems about right, if you think they are going to win. If Kansas clicks on offense like they did on Saturday the party might be over. But, if we underestimate North Carolina, that might be a drastic mistake. They can match the Jayhawks offensively and they are a handful. I’m going to stick with KU because I think they are just a tad better and will be able to shut the Tar Heels down enough to eke out a win in what should be an outstanding game. PAPA DUDES BEST BET: Kansas -4